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A
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FEATURES
Dark Shadows
The Threat of Terrorism Hangs Over Brazil
A
s the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, held
from June 12 to July 13, has come and gone,
the country’s logistics and infrastructure need
to remain key topics of discussion. However,
the same amount of attention has not been
paid to a subject that is crucial to the success of one of
the greatest sports events on the planet: security. More
specifically, how are Brazilian public authorities dealing
with the possibility of terrorist attacks in the country? Is
this hypothesis being seriously considered?
The prevalent attitude in recent Brazilian governments has seemed to systematically deny the mere possibility of placing the issue on the political or security agenda,
perhaps for fear of “attracting attention” from terrorist
groups. It is interesting to see how, instead of “inflating a
threat”, which can be understood as an opportunistic approach commonly used by decision makers to exaggerate
a threat to national security in order to influence public
opinion, allocate resources to specific ends, and change the
policy-making process, Brazilian leaders tend to “deflate
threats” by underestimating the real danger posed by terrorism to national security.
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MARCOS DEGAUT
MARCOS DEGAUT is a Brazilian Political
Advisor at the House of Representatives and
former Intelligence Officer. He served as Assessor to International Affairs at Brazil’s Institutional Security Cabinet, as Deputy Head of
International Affairs at the Superior Court of
Justice, and as Secretary General of the National School of Magistrates (ENFAM).
From time to time it is possible to hear voices in the
Brazilian government strongly rejecting the hypothesis of a
terrorist attack against Brazil or Brazilian interests, basing
their assumptions on the country’s peaceful tradition, its
historical respect for the international principles of selfdetermination and non-intervention, and the absence of
terrorist attacks in the country. The lack of any terrorist
incidents or credible security threats during the 2007 Pan
American Games and the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup,
both held [